Vaporizin g and dispersing apparatus



s. L. F. EKLUND 2,622,237 VAPORIZING AND DISPERSING APPARATUS FOR LIQUID DISINFECTANTS Filed April 3, 1950 Dec. 23, 1952 1 7;. Fly. 2.

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Patented Dec. 23, 1952 VAPORIZIN G AND DISPERSING APPARATUS FOR LIQUID DISINFECTANTS Stig Lars Fredrik Eklund, Gothenburg, Sweden Application April 3, 1950, Serial No. 153,580 In Sweden April 21, 1949 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for vaporizing and dispersing liquid disinfectants, particularly high-boilin polyhydroxy compounds, such as triethylene glycol and propylene glycol, in the air of occupied rooms, for instance bed rooms, living rooms, ofiice rooms etc.

It is known that some of the high-boiling glycols, particularly triethylene glycol and propylene glycol, when vaporized and dispersed in air in very small amounts, e. g. from to milligrams of triethylene glycol per hectoliter of air, rapidly renders infectious organisms, such as germs of influenza, pneumonia etc., innocuous.

Various types of Vaporizers for such liquid disinfectants have been proposed but as far as known they are all relatively complicated and not very suitable for domestic use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vaporizin and dispersing apparatus for triethylene glycol and the like liquid disinfectants of low vapor pressure which is of simple and reliable construction and which rapidly and effectively sterilizes the air in rooms in which the apparatus has been installed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the kind referred to having no movable parts requiring attention.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vaporizing and dispersing apparatus for liquid disinfectants of low vapor pressure in which an automatic liquid feed system comprising an inverted container for the liquid to be vaporized and a cup shaped receptacle into which the mouth of said inverted container extends is combined in a novel and advantageous manner with a heating devic and with an outer casing surrounding the aforementioned parts and provided with a lower air inlet and with an upper air outlet so as to form between the casing and the parts enclosed by the same a sort of narrow chimney of annular cross section, the inner wall of which is formed by a surface heated to a relatively high temperature and through which a relatively strong or rapid air current is caused to flow from the air inlet to the air outlet and out through the latter, said air current being intimately mixed with the vaporized liquid disinfectant and carrying the same far into the room in which the apparatus is installed.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus of the type described having means whereby liquid condensate formed on the inner wall of the casing will be conveyed back to the cup shaped receptacle, and means serving to maintain the liquid container, generally a glass bottle, in a concentric position within the casing.

The invention will be more particularly described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing representing the preferred form of a vaporizing and dispersing apparatus embodying the principles of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation and vertical sectional view of the apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

In the drawing I designates a glass bottle adapted to contain the liquid disinfectant to be vaporized, which may be for instance triethylene glycol, or a mixture of triethylene glycol and water. The bottle is inverted with its mouth 2 extending into an open cup shaped receptacle 3 preferably made of metal and having a plane bottom, at the centre of which a raised or embossed portion 4 for instanc in the shape of a star is provided forming a seat upon which the mouth of the bottle neck is adapted to rest. In the cup 3 there will be formed in a known manner a liquid layer the surface of which is on a level with lower edge of the bottle mouth as indicated at 25. As th liquid is vaporized more liquid will flow from the bottle into the cup so that the level therein is maintained constant. The cup 3 is mounted on a heating unit 5 comprising a metallic casing having a plane upper Wall below which there is mounted an electric resistance heating element '6. As shown in the drawing, the metallic casing may consist of a lower box shaped part I which is provided with a circumferential groove or impression 8 adjacent its upper edge forming an inner flange upon which a partition 9 is adapted to rest, the box I being closed by'means of a flanged cover I0 and the heating element 6 being arranged between this cover and the partition 9. Current is supplied to the resistance element 6 through two contact ins I I, of which only one is shown in Fig. 1, these contact pins extending downwardly through apertures made in the bottom of the box 1 and being surrounded by bushings I2 of insulating material.

The heater plate 6 and the vaporizing cup 3 together with the bottle I are all mounted within an outer casing preferably of cylindrical cross section. This casing which may be made of any suitable material, such as metal or plastic, comprises a lower section I3 and an upper section I4. The bottom wall of the lower section I3 is provided with a raised portion I5 upon which the heating unit 5 is mounted with the interposition of an asbestos disc I6 or the like. The contact pins I I with their bushings I2 extend downwardly through apertures made in the bottom wall of the lower section I3 and serve also to fixedly connect the heating unit 5 with this section and with a protective sleeve Il surrounding the protruding ends of the contact pins II.

The side wall of the lower section I3 of the casing extends upwardly to a point somewhat above the upper edge of the vaporizing cup 3 and is removably connected to the upper section It. For this purpose the diameter of the lower end of the upper section M of the casing is reduced so as to fit in the lower section I3 into which it may be inserted until the upper edge thereof abuts against a circumferential outer flange I8 rovided on the upper section adjacent its lower edge. Reference numeral I9 designates a bayonet clutch which is adapted to connect the two sections I3 and I4 and to prevent unintentional separation of the same. The top portion of the upper section I4 of the casing is reduced in diameter, as indicated at I4, so as to form a seat for the bottom portion of the inverted bottle I and keep the bottle in concentric position within the casing. The lower edge of the upper section I4 of the casing is bent inwardly and forms a conical flange 20 the inner edge of which extends over the vaporizing cup 3 and serves to convey back to the same any liquid condensate which may be formed on the inner wall of the upper section I4 of the casing.

The upper section I4 of the casing as well as the lower section I3 thereof are spaced from the bottle I and from the heating unit 5 and the vaporizing cup 3, respectively, so that there will be formed vertical and relatively narrow channels 2| and 26, respectively, of annular cross section within the casing. The lower section I3 is provided with a number of circumferentially spaced air inlet openings 22 at its lower end, and the upper section I4 has a single large outlet opening 23 at its upper end, the latter opening being preferably arranged at the side of the apparatus which in use is intended to be the frontal side. Through the described combination of the automatic liquid feed system, the heating device and the outer casing provided with lower air inlet and upper air outlet openings a vaporizing and dispersing apparatus is obtained which has no movable parts but through which nevertheless an air current will flow at a relatively high speed, the air being intimately mixed with the vaporized liquid disinfectant and being discharged through the upper outlet in the form of a relatively strong vapor laden current capable of effectively spreading or distributing the disinfecting vapors in rooms or other localities. The lower section it of the casing is shown as provided with a suitable bracket 24 by means of which the apparatus may be attached to a wall, as shown in Fig, 2.

The mode of operation of the above described apparatus is as follows:

Assuming the apparatus to be empty, the upper section I4 of the casing is removed from the lower section I3. A glass bottle of the required size and filled with the disinfecting liquid is placed in an upright position in the upper section M after the same has been inverted, and the lower section I3 is placed upon and connected with the upper section by a slight turning movement. The entire apparatus is then inverted so that the mouth of the bottle I will be directed downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1. On the bottom of the vapor izing cup 3 there is now formed a liquid layer the surface of which is on a level with the edge of the bottle mouth, as described. The apparatus is attached to a wall in the room in which the air is to be sterilized, and the heating element 6 is connected to a source of electric current. Through the heat developed in the resistance element the cup 3 is heated to a temperature suitable for the vaporization of the liquid, this temperature in the case of a mixture of triethylene glycol and water in the proportion 5:1 being for instance about C. The air initially present in the lower annular channel 26 is rapidly heated through radiation from the hot metallic parts I0 and 3 and moves upwardly and out through the upper outlet 23, cold air being drawn in through the lower inlet openings 22 and being likewise rapidly heated through radiation so that a continuous and relatively strong air current will flow through the casing and be discharged through the upper outlet 23. As indicated by the arrows in Fig. l, the cold air entering through the inlet openings 22 flows upwardly through the narrow annular space 2% between the heated metal cup 3 and the lower section I3 of the casing and is then caused to deviate inwardly over the cup 3 by the conical flange 2E3. From the cup 3 disinfectin vapors rise and are mixed with the preheated air, the mixture of air and vapors then flowing upwardly through the annular chimneylilre space 2! between the bottle I and the upper section I4 of the casing to the lateral outlet 23 and out through the same. In continuous operation the liquid content of the bottle as well as the bottle itself will be heated to a relatively high temperature and the mixture of preheated air and vapors flowing upwardly through the vertical channel or chimney 2! will therefore be further heated through radiation from the hot bottle I, which in turn in cooled, so that the vapors are largely prevented from being condensed and a strong and vapor laden air current will issue through the upper outlet opening to spread the disinfecting vapors in the room and sterilize the air therein.

In practical operation it is of course impossible to prevent some condensation of vapor on the inner wall of the upper air-cooled section I4 of the casing. However, liquid condensate thus formed will flow downwardly along said inner wall and over the inwardly projecting conical flange 20 at the lower end of said section at the edge of which flange it drips back into the cup 3 so that liquid condensate cannot accumulate in the lower section I3 of the casing.

What I claim is:

1. In a vaporizing and dispersing apparatus for liquid disinfectants of relatively low vapor pressure, a vertical tubular casing comprising a lower section and an upper section removably connected to the lower section, the casing being provided with a lower air inlet and with an upper air outlet, an electrically heated cup mounted in the lower section of the casing and provided with a raised portion with radially extending channels approximately at the center of its bottom part, a container for the liquid disinfectant to be vaporized mounted in an inverted position within the casing with its mouth extending into "the heated cup and resting on said raised portion on the bottom thereof so that there will be formed on said bottom a layer of the liquid disinfectant which, as it is vaporized, is automatically renewed from the bulk of liquid in said inverted container, the container being spaced from the casing so as to form therebetween a vertical relatively narrow channel of annular cross section connecting the lower air inlet with the upper air outlet and constituting a, chimney through which a current of air will flow, the air bein mixed with vaporized disinfectant in said chimney, and the hot wall of sad container promoting and intensifying said air flow and being in turn cooled. thereby so as to prevent excessive heating of the liquid content of said container.

2. In a vaporizing and dispersing apparatus for liquid disinfectants of relatively low vapor pressure, a vertical tubular casing comprising a lower section and an upper section removably connected to the lower section, the lower section being provided with an air inlet near its bottom and the upper section being provided with an air outlet near its top, an electrically heated cup mounted in the lower section and provided with a raised portion with radially extending channels approximately at the center of its bottom part, an annular flange formed interiorly on said upper section and extending all around the same adjacent the lower edge thereof, said flange extending inwardly over the upper edge of said heated cup, a container for the liquid disinfectant to be vaporized mounted in an inverted position within the casing with its mouth extending into the heated cup and resting on said raised portion on the bottom thereof so that there will be formed on said bottom a layer of the liquid disinfectant which, as it is vaporized, is automatically renewed from the bulk of liquid in said inverted container, the container being spaced from the casin so as to form therebetween a vertical relatively narrow channel of annular cross section connecting the lower air inlet with the upper air outlet and constituting a chimney through which a current of air will flow, the air being mixed with vaporized disinfectant in said chimney, and the hot wall of said container promoting and intensifying said air flow and being in turn cooled thereby so as to prevent excessive heating of the liquid content of said container, and liquid condensate formed on the inner wall of the upper section of the casing flowing downwardly along said wall and dripping back into the heated cup at the inner edge of said flange.

3. In a vaporizing and dispersing apparatus for liquid disinfectants of relatively low vapor pressure, a vertical tubular casing comprising a lower section and an upper section removably connected to the lower section, the casing being provided with a lower air inlet and with an upper air outlet, an electrically heated cup mounted in the lower section of the casing and provided at the centre of its bottom with an embossed portion having radially extending channels, a bottle containing the liquid disinfectant to be vaporized mounted in an inverted position within the casing with its mouth extending into said heated cup and resting on said embossed portion and with its bottom extending to the top of the upper section of the casing which is reduced in diameter to fit the bottom portion of the bottle so as to keep the bottle centered within the casing and spaced from the same by a vertical and relatively narrow channel of annular cross section, the liquid disinfectant ,contained in said bottle forming on the bottom of said heated cup a liquid layer which, as it is vaporized, is automatically renewed from the bulk of liquid in said inverted bottle, and the vertical channel between said casing and said bottle connecting said lower air inlet and said upper air outlet and forming a chimney through which a current of air will flow, the air being mixed with vaporized disinfectant within said chimney, and the hot wall of said bottle promoting and intensifying said air flow and being in turn cooled thereby so as to prevent excessive heating of the liquid content of the bottle.

4. In a vaporizing and dispersing apparatus for liquid disinfectants of relatively low vapor pressure, a vertical tubular casing comprising a lower section and an upper section removably connected to the lower section, the lower section being provided with an air inlet at its lower end and the upper section being provided with an outlet at its upper end, an electrically heated cup shaped member mounted in the lower section of the casin in spaced relation to the same so as to form between the side wall of said cup shaped member and the lower section of the casing a first vertical and relatively narrow channel of annular cross section in which cold air drawn in through the air inlet is heated through radiation from the hot side wall of the cup-shaped member and caused to rise the cup-shaped member being provided with a raised portion with radially extending channels approximately at the center of its bottom part, a bottle containing the liquid disinfectant to be vaporized mounted in an inverted position within F said casing with its mouth extending into said heated cup and resting on said raised portion on its bottom so as to form thereon a liquid layer which, as it is vaporized, is automatically renewed from the bulk of liquid in said inverted container, the container being surrounded by the upper section of the casing and spaced from the same so as to form therebetween a second vertical and relatively narrow channel of annular cross section communicating with said first channel so that air which has been preheated at its passage through said first channel and mixed with vapors rising from the liquid layer in the heated cup shaped member flows upwardly through said second channel and is subjected therein to further heating by radiation from the hot wall of the bottle whereby the vapors mixed with the air are largely prevented from condensing and a relatively strong vapor laden air current will issue through the upper outlet.

STIG LARS FREDRIK EKLUND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,344,536 Coey et a1. Mar. 21, 1944 2,472,011 Graham May 31, 1949 2,497,068 Canney Feb. 14, 1950 2,501,496 Cartwright Mar. 21, 1950 2,523,372 Jennings et al. Sept. 26, 1950 

